


Second Chances

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: Fast and the Furious Series, Torque (2004)
Genre: AU: Henry is Vince, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossover Pairings, Family, Friendship, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Rare Fandoms, Rare Pairings, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-11 10:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3324497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a reason Vince knew Brian was a cop- he could spot one of his own a mile off.  Too bad he never counted on his best friend falling head over heels in love, or his own past to come back to haunt him in the form of a botched assignment and one Cary Ford.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Torque is one of those movies that doesn’t get enough love and is severely underrated.  It’s not the best movie, but it’s practically F&F on motorcycles.  I love the UST between Henry and Ford and couldn’t resist making this crossover.  Knowledge of Torque isn’t really a must, though it certainly helps so you know the characters I’ve brought in, plus there are spoilers (even though I changed things around a bit).  Hope you all enjoy and if you haven’t seen Torque then you HAVE to.  It’s worth the watch.

“Buster’s a cop,” Vince grumbled the second the blonde left.

That made Dom freeze.  “Yeah?”  He turned to watch the truck retreating from Echo Park.  “You sure?”

“ _ Seriously  _ Dom?” the brunette grumbled.  “I know what the fuck I’m doin’ y’know.”  He hit their shoulders together roughly as he passed by to his car.  He needed to get the hell out of there.  “Have Jess run a background check all the same.”

Vince peeled out of the lot, heading straight home.  He needed to cool off.  It hadn’t been intentional to come to blows with the kid, but he just didn’t seem to know when to back off, when he was out of his league.  Though Vince wasn’t one to talk.  He’d been just like that back when he was in the very same position.

When he'd joined the DEA, given his knowledge of anything with a motor and being able to handle them, he was often used as an undercover agent.  It had started small- local dealers and chemists- but then quickly escalated when they found how well Vince blended in.  Soon he was slipping in with full-blown cartels.

Everything changed when Dom got locked up.  After that Vince lost his faith in the system.  It was just as well, as his last assignment had only helped to cement those feelings.  A crooked FBI agent, innocent people caught in the crossfire.  Not to mention being so deep in cover that he wasn’t there for his best friend when his father died.  If he’d been, maybe he would have been able to stop Dom.

There was no doubt in his mind Brian was undercover.  It was no coincidence he showed up at the store, or worked at Racer’s Edge.  They were close… too close.  The team would have to be extra cautious with their activities and try to weasel out what the narc knew.

By his calculations, they only needed two or three more good hauls before they’d have enough money to sit pretty on.  They would be in Mexico, living the good life.  Nothing to worry about but their cars and sunshine.  It sounded like as good a plan as any when Dom had brought him into his garage that day to talk.  The man would always and forever be his best friend, so there was no way he would have let him do anything like this without him.

Vince slammed the door of the Maxima as he got out.  He walked to the garage door, punching in the code that would open it up.  He’d learned long ago not to carry a garage door opener in the car- too easy for someone to steal.  Besides, he didn’t park the car in the single-bay garage anyway.

The door rolled up, revealing the still unfinished bike.  It’d been about two and a half years, yet he still hadn’t found the time to get it done.  He tried to chalk it up to being too busy at the garage or watching Mia in her brother’s absence, or helping Dom with whatever he needed once he got out almost six months back.  In reality, it was the memories it invoked that delayed the project.

When he’d be working on it sometimes he’d get a whiff of burnt rubber crossing his nose, or hear the whir of a crotch-rocket motor.  He’d get flashes of orange and black leathers, a pegasus on the back of a jacket.  There was warm laughter, eyes filled with fire, and a personality that was one part brave and two parts stupidity, and a healthy measure of dumb luck thrown in.

Today as Vince ran his fingers over the custom leather seat he’d had made, his lips quirked, remembering a particular taunt.  His prime target, Cary Ford, had just returned to town after disappearing six months previous just before the raid that would have caught him red-handed with the smuggled methamphetamine.  It had ended up extending Vince’s cover, and he hadn’t been happy about it, so he’d decided to dig the guy a little.

“ _I dunno why you’re buyin’ a new seat Ford,” he graveled out.  “Looks to me like you haven’t broken in your old one yet.”_

_ China spoke up, “Looks like Ford prefers to ride  _ bitch  _ to me.” Vince had to hold back a chuckle. _

_ But then he was stepping in the way of a blade meant for Ford, grabbing China’s wrist to make her drop the butterfly knife aimed right at that pretty face of his because that damn girl Shane had snarked back.  It had been a good one, admittedly, especially considering she’d been right.  Just thinking of all the places China had been made him want to keep her at arms length, but she made for a damn good cover- just like Luther, the short-fused moron that he was. _

_ Moving into Ford’s personal space the other man had to tilt his chin back slightly to remain looking Vince in the eye.  “Where are my Goddamn bikes?” he demanded. _

“ _ You really want  _ them _ ?” Ford mused, tipping back his Budweiser. _

_ Vince smirked slightly, grabbing the neck of the bottle and putting it behind Ford’s head before dropping it.  As it shattered on the ground, he stepped even closer, nose to nose with him.  “You got ‘til sundown to hand ‘em over.” _

Vince had taken off pretty quickly after that, not wanting to stay too much longer in Ford’s space.  He was sexy as sin and the bastard knew it too.  Vince hadn’t realized it until he’d laid eyes on him again after so long, but he was attracted to him.  And wasn’t that the rub?

Perhaps if he’d known then what he knew now he wouldn’t have wasted so much time trying to arrest Ford and could have worked other leads that led to the real snake in the grass- the damn FBI agent that nearly got him killed.  He could have  _ helped  _ Ford.

Sighing heavily, Vince tried to put the past behind him.  He wouldn’t be able to work on the bike.  Not today.

* * *

The race that night brought a particular blonde with it.  Vince just stayed close to Dom, scowling at the would-be narc.  Jesse had done the background search like he’d suggested.  It turned up minor things, including two years in juvie for boosting cars.  A good cover never read like America’s Most Wanted.  It was usually something simple, just like this.

Henry James had seen time for assault and battery, some public intoxication, but nothing drug related.  Any good player in the drug game never did.  They weren’t stupid enough to get caught with product.  It had been the perfect cover that immediately gave him a reputation as being both smart and deadly.

This kid was supposed to read as a small-time fish who knew his way around cars.  The part of the rookie suited him as it was clear he’d probably never dragged in his life with the way he drove.  Still, Vince had to give him props for his guts.  He was fearless- it reminded him of a certain brunette he knew.

Dom seemed particularly taken with the guy.  There was nothing his best friend could hide from him, and he saw that twinkle in his eyes, that smile on his face.  Letty hadn’t made him look that way since he got out of prison.  Then again, he supposed that was part of the reason Dom had broken things off with her.  Not that she didn’t continue to act the part to keep the race bunnies at bay- which Vince knew his friend was eternally grateful for.

If Vince were one to guess, he’d say Dom was more tired than he let on.  Prison had taken a lot out of him, as had the death of his father.  Hell, it had done a number on them all.  Yet, here Dom was, trying to take care of them, to give them all the lives that they could only dream of.  Part of him knew it was wrong, the part that still thought like a cop despite everything.  Vince tried to muffle that voice with a pillow- it had no place in his life anymore.

* * *

To say Vince was  _ livid  _ when Brian wandered in through the door of the Toretto home was putting it mildly.  “Why’d you bring the Buster here?”

“ Cause the  _ Buster  _ kept me out of handcuffs!” Dom roared accusingly.  Vince cringed a bit at the rebuke, but what could he have done?  “The Buster brought  _ me  _ back,” he continued, the tone of his voice saying that he didn’t believe him to be a cop.  Vince only growled in annoyance.

He and Dom would be having a talk later.

* * *

“ Would you  _ listen  _ to me?!” Vince bellowed after everyone else had cleared out.

“Why are you so insistent about this?” Dom asked, leaning against the counter with a beer in hand.

“ Why are  _ you  _ being so blind?!”

“I just don’t see it.  The kid’s harmless.  And he saved my bacon.”

“ It’s called a  _ cover  _ Dom.”  Before he could open his mouth, Vince was continuing, “Do you have  _ any idea  _ some of the shit I did to prove I ‘wasn’t a cop?’  I choked some kid out with a bike chain once.  Beat another guy half to death with one.  Strung up some punks and left ‘em there…  They weren’t found for  _ three days _ .”  He looked at him hard then.  “So don’t tell me what someone can and can’t do to make you think they’re one a you…”

Dom didn’t know what to say.  It was the first time Vince had ever admitted any details of what he’d done while undercover.  He never wanted to talk about it, and now he got why.  The last assignment was an especially touchy subject, a complete no-go zone.  The team never spoke about it, not even amongst each other, out of respect for Vince wanting to forget whatever had happened to him.  It was kind of like how they didn’t talk to Dom about what happened in prison.  It was just better to ignore it.

Even so, now that Vince was talking, Dom had to know, “What happened that last case man?”  When Vince only looked at the ground, a scowl on his face, he prodded, “You changed after that V.  And don’t go sayin’ it was all ‘cause what happened to me,” he added quickly when the brunette opened his mouth.  “There were always cases that got you wired, made you keep to yourself and brood or whatever for awhile.  But you always bounced back.  This one though…”

“Don’t ask me Dom,” Vince murmured.  “You won’t like the answer.”

Silence prevailed for awhile until Dom said out of the blue, “I got shanked inside, y’know…”  Vince looked at him in surprise.  Dom lifted his shirt, turning a bit so he could see the scar, right near his kidney.  He shrugged as he lowered the tank, sipping at his beer.  “Got ‘im back the next week, except I didn’t miss.  Not that the guards could ever prove it.”

And there it was…  a small piece of Dom’s pain in exchange for his own that he’d bared.   _ We’re pieces of work,  _ was all Vince could think as he took a swig of his own Corona.

* * *

Dom had it  _ bad.   _ He was head over heels for Brian and Vince knew he wasn’t the only one that could see it.  Leon kept throwing looks to him, speaking with his eyebrows mostly as he’d jerk his head towards the pair.  Vince would only shrug, sometimes scowl, but he never said a word- it seemed to be he was wasting his breath.

Likewise, Mia had clearly picked up on it.  She seemed to like the Buster too, scolding Vince whenever he’d talk shit about him or try to make his life difficult.  If Jesse noticed, it didn’t show.  Then again, the kid had always been a hopeless case in many respects.

It seemed the only one who shared his cold shoulder approach was Letty.  Although Vince had to wonder if it was for the same concerns he had, or simply because she was well and truly being replaced.  He was just going to guess the latter.

The day finally came when Vince was proven right, although it didn’t feel like much of a victory.

He’d practically forced Dom into coming with him, following Brian around in that work truck of Harry’s.  When it pulled into the back alley of Hector’s garage, Vince looked over at his best friend and raised a brow.  “Don’t mean anything,” Dom argued, getting out of the car, however Vince didn’t miss the waver in his voice.

They caught Brian shimming down the drainpipe and Vince slammed him into the wall before throwing him across the ground at Dom.  Brian went to get up but those baby blues widened as he looked down the barrel of a shotgun, then up to Vince.

“Brian…”  Dom’s voice drew his attention.

“Dom, what the hell’s goin’ on?”

“Shut up!” Vince snapped, putting his boot on the blonde’s shoulder and shoving hard so he was sprawled on the ground.

Dom glared at him for it but didn’t comment.  Instead, he looked at Brian and said, “You need to be  _ very careful  _ about how you answer the next question…”  He waited until Brian was looking right at him and then asked, “Are you a cop?”

Vince was expecting denial, even some half-assed cover story, but that wasn’t what they got at all.  Brian’s face scrunched in pain and he couldn’t meet Dom’s gaze.  “I’m sorry, Dom,” he whispered, voice breaking like he was trying not to cry.  “I didn’t… I didn’t come to the store thinking it was you.  I swear I didn’t.  And then after you took me in…”  Brian finally looked up, tears coming down his cheeks.  “I wanted it to be anyone but you!”

The shotgun lowered and Vince couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  Brian sounded so… sincere.  Apparently Dom knew it too, as he knelt down to wrap the blonde in his arms.  “Shh, it’s ok, Bri,” he murmured, nose nuzzling into his curls.

“I’m so sorry, Dom,” he repeated, clutching the back of Dom’s shirt.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” he asked, pulling back to wipe the tears from his cheeks.

“ And how exactly was he supposed to do  _ that  _ Dominic?” Vince questioned hotly.  Brian looked up to find the brunette’s scowl was directed at Dom for once. Vince  _ defending  _ him?  Now there was one to mark on the calendar.

“We’ve been dating, V,” Dom grunted back.  Vince’s nostrils flared.  “I didn’t wanna tell ya ‘cause I knew what you’d say.”

“ What?  That’s it’s not a smart idea to be dating a narc?!”  Dom sighed.  “Or how about that he’s just moved in on his mark?  I’m sure his handlers will be  _ thrilled. _ ”

Brian furrowed his brows.  “How do you know so much?”

“Nevermind that,” Vince snapped.  “We need to figure out what we’re doin’ here Dom.”

Dom nodded, looking at the blonde seriously.  “What do they know?”

“Not enough to charge you.  They heavily suspect the team’s behind it though.  That’s why they wanted me to start with you.  I didn’t care where I went- I just needed an in to the scene.  I wasn’t about to make assumptions based on your record like my bosses.”  Brian shook his head ruefully, giving a short laugh.  “Y’know, I just got done insisting to the FBI liaison that it wasn’t you guys.”

“Feds?”  Dom looked up at Vince.  “We’re in deeper than we thought.”

“Was only a matter of time,” Vince grunted.

“You sure had me fooled,” Brian mentioned, though the corner of his mouth quirked up.

“Fallin’ for a pretty face’ll do it every time,” Vince muttered in response, turning away before he could catch the pair’s curious looks.  “So… where do we go from here Buster?  Now that I can finally say ‘I told you so’ to Dom, and that you know what we’ve been up to.”

Ignoring the mumbled, “Fuck off,” from Dom, Brian replied, “I suppose I’ll have to figure out a way to stall them until you guys get the hell outta town.”

Vince was surprised by that but it seemed Dom wasn’t.  “V and I already talked about moving into our end game.  Two more trucks Bri.  We just need two more and we split to Mexico.”

Brian nodded, chewing on his lower lip a moment before saying, “Lemme help.”  Even Dom was surprised that time.  “Please, Dom.  I wanna help, wanna go with you.”

Dom looked to his best friend for permission.  No one else would know it, but they were equal parts masterminds and partners in this scheme.  Sure, Dom did the front work, taking the lead. However they didn’t make a move without both of them in agreement- that was why nothing had ever gotten anywhere regarding Brian before then.

“ I’m probably gonna regret this,” Vince muttered.  “Fine.”  He turned away to walk back to the Maxima as the pair traded a soft kiss.  “Save it for later,” he groused at them.  It wasn’t as though he were opposed to their relationship, but right now he didn’t need to see them together.  It nagged at something in the back of his mind.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next heist went off beautifully.  With the added manpower of Brian, they were two to a car and made for more options.  Vince was still the main choice for actually making the jump to the trucks.  But now they had Brian riding shotgun for Leon just in case Dom couldn’t get Vince into position.

The load had been filled to the brim with high-end electronics- expensive and easy to move.  No one questioned where the TV or laptop came from when it was half price and brand new.  They moved quickly as well, which was another reason fencers liked that particular type of merchandise.

_One more load._

It probably wouldn’t come until after Race Wars, which was fine by them.  They would enjoy playing in the Mohave one last time, and having more spending money for the road.  Brian’s Supra was done and the rest of the team had their own cars tuned to perfection.  It was going to be a good year in the desert.

_Just one more load._

* * *

Vince should have _known_ things were going too well.  “Henry?”  When that familiar voice spoke up, he felt his heart stop.  It couldn’t be… There was no possible way when he looked that there would be…

“Ford?”  Sure enough, in the middle of Racer’s Edge stood none other than the one and only Cary Ford.  He looked exactly the same- shoulder length brown locks, wrapped in orange and black motorcycle leathers.  Behind him were Val and Dalton, looking between Vince and their friend curiously.

Mouth going dry, Vince had no clue what to say.  What the hell was _Ford_ of all people doing back in LA, and in Racer’s Edge no less?  “V?” Brian questioned from behind the counter, but he just continued locking onto those hazel eyes.  How hadn’t he noticed that the three bikes out front when he walked in were familiar?  “Vince?” the blonde tried again, sounding a bit more nervous now.

He looked back at their newest team member- read family member- and shook his head.  “I’ll see ya later,” he grunted, completely forgetting about grabbing the order he’d stopped in for.  He just needed to get away- _now._  Peeling out of the lot, he aimed his Maxima straight for the closest safe haven, the Toretto store.

* * *

“Vince!” Brian shouted again out the door but the man was long gone, leaving a cloud of dust.  He furrowed his brows.  “What the fuck?”  He rounded on the trio of bikers that had been wandering the shop for the past ten minutes, dropping into his cold demeanor that had earned him the nickname Snowman on the streets.  “Who are you?” he demanded of the brunette.

“Name’s Ford.  This is Val and Dalton,” he pointed to each of his friends in turn.  “Look, we don’t want any trouble…”

“Ford?” he repeated.  “Cary Ford?”  The man's brows lowered, nodding.  Brian cursed under his breath, stepping away from them and pulling out his cell.  He hit the speed dial for Dom.  As soon as his boyfriend picked up he said, “We may have a problem.  Some of V’s old friends are down here at Harry’s.”  He was watching the group intently, telling them without any words that they weren’t free to leave.

After what happened that night outside Hector’s, Brian had grilled Dom about what Vince’s story was.  He knew from his intel that Vince was ex-DEA but what his file hadn’t said was anything about his undercover history.  Whatever the man had been involved in, they wanted it buried.  Which was only further proven when he dug into things.

It had been unsettling that not even Dom knew details of what the brunette had been up to.  The one that mattered to him though was the last assignment, and although Brian couldn’t get much it was still more than what Dom had had before.  What little bit he’d learned had included the name Cary Ford as a target of Vince’s.

“He know?” Dom asked.

“He freaked out and took off.  Prolly headed your way as we speak.”

He heard Dom huff out a short laugh.  “Yeah…  I can hear ‘im.”  He sighed.  “Bring ‘em here.  It’s time we get this shit sorted out.”

“Will do,” Brian answered before hanging up.  He grabbed the box of parts that Vince had come there for in the first place and sighed.  “Follow me,” he ordered.

“Woah, timeout,” Dalton intervened.  “We dunno who the hell you are.  Ain’t goin’ anywhere with you.”

Giving the guy a hard stare he said, “Name’s Brian. And you don’t have a choice.”

Before he could argue further, Ford held up his hand.  “Lead the way,” he replied.

“Smart man,” was all Brian said.  He spotted his “boss” and called, “Hey Harry!  I gotta step out for a few.”

“Alright Bri,” he waved off.  It wasn’t as though he could actually stop him.  As far as the store owner knew, it dealt with his undercover assignment.

“Lets go,” he told the bikers.  This was going to be interesting.

* * *

“Vince?” Mia questioned as he stormed into the store.

Dom was flipping his cellphone closed and sighed, walking out of the back cage.  “What’s wrong?” he asked, getting straight to the point.  “Bri called and said you just left Harry’s all of a sudden.”

“Nothin’,” he grunted back.

Even Jesse wasn’t buying that one.  “Dude, you look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“What gives bro?” Leon asked.

Vince growled, shoving past them to the coolers.  He really needed a beer about then.  “Jus’ drop it.”

“Don’t give us your attitude sourpuss,” Letty commented, sitting behind the counter with Mia.  “How ‘bout you stop bein’ an ass and just tell us what’s got your panties in a twist.”

Vince literally snarled then, opening his mouth to give her hell.  Except the whir of motorcycle engines, made him freeze.   _No, no, no…_ They couldn’t have any idea where he went.   _Unless…_  Sure enough, Harry’s red truck parked across the street as three crotch-rockets pulled up out front.

As Vince went to head for the back, Dom snagged his collar.  “Oh no.  We’re gettin’ this all sorted out once and for all with this Ford guy.  No more running.”

“Nobody asked you!” Vince roared, shoving his best friend against the wall.  Not that it deterred Dom any, slamming the brunette back against the counter.

“Enough!” he hollered at him, right in his face.

“Wow,” a Latino male in yellow leathers spoke up as he entered the store.  “Never thought I’d see the likes of Henry gettin’ his ass chewed.”

“Guess we know where he got it from,” the Asian in red added.

“Shut up guys,” the final stranger chastised, eyes locking on Vince.

Dom let his friend go, backing away a couple steps to let him breathe, though plenty close should he try to run off again.

Brian had stepped in with the bikers, taking it upon himself to make introductions.  “Well, this is Mia, Letty, Jesse, Leon, Dominic… and I believe you all know Vince.” He jabbed his thumb towards the man in orange leathers.  “This here’s Ford, and uh, Dalton and Val?” he introduced, gesturing between the man in yellow and then red.

Ford was still looking at Vince though with a critical eye.  “Vince?” he finally asked, stepping in towards the counter.  “Not Henry…”

Said man sighed heavily.  “No, that was my cover.  Real names Vincent James.”

Val turned to Dalton then and smirked.  “You owe me fifty bucks.”

“Fuck man,” he grumbled.  “How do you guess this shit?”

Ford shook his head, but then an amused expression crossed his face.  “Much better name than Henry,” he mused.  That actually got Vince to crack half a smile.

“Who the hell picked _that_ name?” Leon asked him.

“Hey,” Vince retorted, pointing at Brian.  “Spilner?  Really?  I think I got the better end of the fucking deal.”  The team couldn’t help but laugh at that, easing the tension that had been in the air.

Dom gestured to the bikers.  “Come in.  Have a seat.  I think there’s some things that need to be discussed here.”

“Oh no Dominic…” Vince replied, immediately going on the defensive again.  “We’re _not_ doing this.”

“Yes… we are.”  Dom gave him a hard stare.  “You’re gonna have to deal with it sometime.  So just shut up and do it now.”

“No way.”

Ignoring him, Dom looked at Ford.  “So, how do you know V?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.  He certainly wasn’t expecting his friend to grab him by the front of the tank and shove him back into the wall once more.  The desperate look on his face was the only reason Dom wasn’t pushing him off.

“ _Please,_ ” Vince begged.  “Don’t do this.”  Dom reached up and grabbed his bicep gently.  “Not in front of the team…”

“Alright,” he whispered back, giving Vince’s arm a squeeze.  He looked around at the team, raising his voice.  “Out.  All of you.”  He pointed at Ford.  “‘Cept you.”  His team grumbled a bit until he ordered, “ _Now_ ,” and they begrudgingly followed.  “You too Bri,” he added more gently when the blonde simply stood there.

“Fine,” he relented.  “Play nice.”

“Sit,” he ordered Vince, pushing him down onto one of the stools.  Ford took a seat on the other side of the L-shaped counter so he could look at them both.  Dom pushed Vince’s beer towards him, knowing it would help him.  “Beer?” he offered the biker.

“Budweiser?”  Dom gave a look of mock disgust but passed over the requested beer all the same.

“So,” Dom spoke, going behind the counter.  He leaned a hip against it, staring down his best friend, who looked like a kicked puppy at the moment, and said, “Spill.”

Vince clenched his teeth.  “It’s still classified information Dom.  Which means if you knew Ford’s name then the Buster went snooping around in places he shouldn’t have been!”  He glared up at Dom, feeling betrayed that they would pry.

“V, you’re my best friend, my _brother_ for Christ’s sake!  I worry about you!”  He ran his hand over his face in frustration.  “Now whatever the fuck happened on this case fucked with your head, and I wanna know what it was so I can help you.”

Vince just stared at his beer then, murmuring, “No one can help me.  You can’t take away the things I’ve done Dom.”

All the same, he insisted, “The case…”

Heaving a sigh, Vince took a long swig of beer and dropped the bottle to the counter.  He looked over at Ford, who had sat there waiting patiently the whole time, just observing- probably confused as hell as to what was going on.  “In case you didn’t figure it out…  I used to be DEA,” Vince offered.  “I was undercover when we met.”

“Makes sense,” Ford answered.

“What does?” Dom inquired.

“A lot, actually.  Mainly the fact that he let us go when all was said and done.”

Vince grunted.  “Looks like the Buster and I’ve got a lot in common.”  That may have gone over Ford’s head but Dom clearly understood- and even caught the double meaning if his curious glance between the pair was any indication.

“My cover was the leader of a biker gang,” Vince admitted, looking at his friend.  “I was supposed to gather evidence for arrests of runners and, if possible, the ring leaders giving the transport orders.  Ford was one of the runners I had on my radar.  ‘Cept when we were supposed to do the trade he got wise to the bust, took off for Thailand, and no one saw him for six months.”

“The extension…” Dom realized.  It was the reason that Vince hadn’t been there when the Toretto patriarch had died, when Dom had almost killed Linder and been sentenced.  All Vince had said when he returned and came to Lompoc to visit was that they’d hit a snag and his assignment had ended up extended.

“Well, my superiors didn’t want to pull the plug, not with the amount of product missing, and not when my cover was going so well.  So they kept me under.  I was working other leads, busted some other people, hoped to make a big distribution bust with the Eaglewood biker gang, but their leader Trey wasn’t playin’ ball.”

He took another swig of beer before continuing.  “During that time, I learned the identity of the person I was playing middle man for.  He was FBI.”  He caught Dom’s surprised expression.  “You can imagine then that I was stuck until we found a way to catch him red handed- nothin’ less wouldda worked.

“When Ford showed back up, that should have been easy enough…  Get two birds with one stone.  Ford brings me the meth so I can oversee the hand off.  Simple.”  He snorted.  “Till it all went to shit.”

“What happened?”

Vince frowned, not looking at either of them.  “People died.”

Dom looked at Ford expectantly.  “What do you know about all this?”

“ _Dom_ ,” Vince growled out in warning, however it seemed Ford was actually going to offer information.

“The drugs were hidden in a pair of bikes.  When I didn’t bring ‘im to ‘ _Henry’_ that night like he asked, I found myself running from Feds and said Eaglewood bikers.  Made the mistake of trusting the same crooked Fed, thinking I could make a deal.  Only I got double crossed.  When I tried to give him the bikes, in rolls his ‘ _partner’_ here with his crew, and my friends all used as leverage.”  Ford shook his head.  “Was my fault,” he admitted softly.  “If I hadn’t attempted to play hero…”

Just as softly, Vince replied, “You’re not the one that killed Junior.”

A hush fell over the store, and something cold settled in the pit of Dom’s stomach.

* * *

Outside the two girls separated themselves in order to gossip, slipping into Letty’s car.  It was just as well, as Brian wasn’t sure Vince would appreciate his next tactic- grilling the other two bikers- and the less people who knew he’d done it, the better.  Jesse was hovering close by and Leon was standing right next to him as the blonde asked Ford’s friends, “What do you know about Vince?”

The pair looked at each other and it was Dalton who spoke.  “Man was a complete psycho, dude.”  Brian scowled.

“Henry, uh, _Vince_ ,” Val corrected, “was really bloodthirsty.  No one crossed him, Luther, China, any of the Hellions.”

“No, that wasn’t Vince,” Brian said.  “Undercover operatives are trained to compartmentalize- it’s how you stay sane, how you can play the role.  The man you knew was Henry.  That’s not V…”  The pair seemed to understand that, nodding.  “What happened?”

“Dude kidnapped us,” Dalton explained.  “Tried to use us as leverage against Ford.  That fucker Luther had a chain wrapped ‘round my neck like a dog.”

Leon smirked at that.  “Hmm, now there’s a picture.”  Brian turned to him and raised a brow.  Leon only smiled and shrugged.  “What?  It’s kindda hot.”

“Somebody’s a kinky shit,” Dalton mused, earlier anger waning as he gave Leon a coy grin.

Val rolled his eyes before saying, “Yeah, well, believe me, it wasn’t so hot from where we were sittin’.  Almost ended up as Luther’s chew toy.”  That made him shudder.

“Luther and China…” Dalton ventured.  “They weren’t undercover too, were they?”

Brian shook his head.  “V was the only agent, why?”

The bikers traded a look.  “Then why the hell would _he_ have been the one to kill Junior?  He couldda made Luther do it.  Fucker wouldda _enjoyed_ it.”

The blonde paled.  “V killed somebody?”

They both nodded, Val answering, “Guy by the name of Junior.  Brother to another gang leader.  Framed Ford for it, had the Feds _and_ Trey’s gang breathin’ down our necks.”

No one knew what to say.  Vince had actually _killed_ someone as part of his cover?  No wonder he never wanted to talk about it.

* * *

Vince crumbled on the countertop, punching it.  “What the fuck choice did I have?!” he yelled at no one in particular, having just explained what he’d done.  “McPherson ordered the hit.  If I didn’t…”  He growled, kicking the side of the counter that time.  “He needed an excuse to be back in the investigation, so he could get close to Ford and get the drugs.”

Bracing his elbows on the counter, he rested his head in his hands.  “If that wasn’t bad enough…  I fucked up the end game.  McPherson killed…”  He cringed.  “Killed the other Agent with him.  And then…  Shane.”  He somehow managed to look over at Ford.  “I’m so sorry about Shane.”

Vince had tried keeping her out of the way, he _tried_.  But she was caught in the crossfire and fatally wounded by the crooked Agent.  The same was said of Trey, Junior’s brother who had apparently come to some uneasy ceasefire with Ford in an attempt to bring in his brother’s true killer.  Of course, Trey hadn’t died before he managed to kill Luther- saving Val and Dalton in the process.  China, well, she’d been stabbed by Shane prior to her death and had bled out.

“Yeah,” Ford whispered back, “me too.”

Hanging his head, Vince thought about what had happened when it was all over, when McPherson had been disarmed and laid at his feet.  Pointing his gun at the Fed’s head, Vince could have simply waited for backup to arrive, could have let him been taken in.  But no.  It had been that asshole’s fault- all of it.  He’d been the one to put Vince down this slippery slope with no way to slow his descent before the crash at the bottom.  And so Vince pulled the trigger.

“You avenged her though,” Ford continued, as though reading Vince’s own turbulent thoughts.

Vince didn’t know how to reply.  His actions didn’t make up for all he’d done, the deaths that were on his head.  He may not have pulled the trigger himself, but he’d allowed things to lead to that point.  Killing that scum McPherson didn’t bring them back, didn’t bring Ford’s former lover Shane back.

Ford standing up drew his attention and the biker walked over to sit next to him, leaning his back against the counter so he could better look Vince in the eye.  “Why’d you let us go?” he asked, having been wondering all that time.

Vince shrugged, not sure what to say.  He certainly _should_ have arrested the trio.  Yet when all of it was over, and he knew backup was en route, he’d just looked up into those hazel eyes- the same ones looking at him now- and told him to go.   “ _Get outta here Ford.  Don’t need you on my conscious too.”_

“Falling for a pretty face will do it every time,” Brian spoke from the entrance, smirking as he repeated what Vince had told him that night at Hector’s.

“Shut it Buster,” Vince griped.

The blonde chuckled.  “Sorry.  Popped in to see how things were goin’.”

Dom nodded.  “I think you guys can come in now.”  Brian nodded in return, going back out to tell the others.

Ford was looking at Vince curiously though.  “A pretty face, huh?” he mused, giving him a shit-eating grin.

“Oh, can it Ford,” Vince shot back, shoving him.

Ford laughed, grabbing hold of his arm and drawing a bit closer.  “Gotta say…  May not be the only one.”  He looked over Vince pointedly, causing the scruffy racer to blush.  Trying to smooth things over he added, “Well, at least your hair’s better.  That crappy excuse for a mullet was just plain _awful._ ”

“Dear Lord, V,” Leon quipped as they all returned.  “Seriously?”

It was Ford who answered, “Yup.  But he wore these amazing leather pants that were just like pasted on him that made up for it.”

Brian tilted his head, staring at Vince with a hooded gaze.  His tongue came out to wet his lower lip and Dom snapped, “Brian!”

“What?” he defended.  “It’s a really nice picture.”

“Oh for the love of…”  Vince groaned, hiding the blush behind his hands, although it didn’t hide it completely given it had crept up his neck.

Not about to leave it there, Brian walked over and draped himself around Vince.  “Could you take me shopping?  I think Dom wouldn’t mind me in somethin’ like that.”

Vince muttered, “Fuck my life,” causing everyone to get a good laugh at his expense, easing the tension around them.

As Brian backed off, going around behind the counter to hug Dom in reassurance that he was the only one for him, Vince looked up as a hand slipped onto his thigh.  Ford was just sitting there with a smile on his face.  Deciding to take a chance, Vince laid his hand on top of his, a crooked grin coming across his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Somehow the group ended up migrating to DT’s and Ford parked next to the Maxima.  “That car is so not you,” he mentioned, taking his helmet off and smoothing down his hair.

Vince smirked.  “And just how do you know that?  You dunno shit ‘bout the real me Ford.”

“I’d like to,” he offered.  He blushed a bit realizing what he said and looked away.  “I just meant a bike was more you, that’s all.”

Deciding to let Ford off the hook he answered, “Yeah, well, just finally got my bike done.  Y’know, after my last one was  _ totaled  _ by someone I know.”  Feigning innocence, Ford nonchalantly followed into the garage.  It hadn’t exactly been the man’s fault- well,  _ completely _ .  It had just been another casualty of the feud between them.

“Someone owe ya a ten second bike?” Brian mused from his perch on the workbench.

Vince laughed at the comparison to how Brian had owed Dom the Supra.  Granted, Dom had been so infatuated with the blonde that it probably wouldn’t have mattered if he’d gotten the car in the end, Dom was simply glad for the excuse to keep him nearby.  “Not a bad idea Buster…”

“Not buyin’ you another bike,” Ford was quick to say.

Stepping a little closer to him, Vince replied, “Then I guess that means you better help me test my bike out.”

“You haven’t tested it yet?”

Vince shook his head.  “Only got it finished, what, last week?”

“Sure as hell took a long ‘nough time ‘bout finishin’ it,” Dalton pointed out.  He was hangin’ awful close to Leon as he admired the work on the garish yellow Skyline.

“Yeah, well,” Dom answered for him.  “Shit’s been a bit… weird around here the past couple years.”

“That’s one way to put it dawg,” Leon replied with a huff.

Ford seemed to sense there was a bit more too it than that and his hand brushed against Vince’s as he offered, “Why don’t we go look at it later?”

“‘Ey Dom!” Jesse called out, feet dangling from the workbench where he sat next to Brian.  “BBQ tomorrow?”

“Sure, why the hell not?”  He shrugged.  “Last opportunity before Race Wars.”

That was the reason the bikers were in town they’d found out.  Race Wars tended to cater to racers with  _ four  _ wheels however there had been a steadily growing interest in the bike community to join in. Ford's group had spent about a year or so down in Mexico, laying low and causing mayhem.  Given the need for money though, they’d started racing and taking up some other activities they used to do, hoping to get their own nest egg just as the team was.

Dom looked to their visitors, saying, “Y’all are more than welcome to come.  And you can stay in our camp when we get to the desert.”

“Thanks,” Val replied.  “Always good to have friendly faces around.”  He looked to the girls who were standing on either side of him pointedly.  Mia blushed and looked away while Letty smirked.  Vince shook his head, suppressing a groan.  Oh, he was so not touching that with a ten-foot-pole.  And thankfully for Val, Dom was only looking at him in careful consideration rather than appearing ready to string him up for even daring to flirt with his little sister.

“Where you guys staying?” Vince asked.

“ Just this motel off the highway,” Ford answered.  “And  _ no _ , before you go there, you don’t need to shelter us too.”

“Well, I was thinking more just you,” Vince found himself replying.

Jesse feigned like he was gagging and Dom was giving him an amused look.  Brian only grinned and said, “Dude, just take ‘im back to your place already.”  As both Ford and Vince blushed, looking away from the other, Brian laughed and added, “Damn, I meant lookin’ at the bike.  Guess we know where your minds are.”

Dalton commented to Ford, “Told ya just to fuck ‘im three years ago.”

They both flushed even deeper and Vince managed to growl out, “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” as he turned to leave, Ford hot on his heels.

The rest of their cat-calls followed them out, along with Dom’s, “Call me later!”

Vince shook his head, muttering under his breath.  He was so going to get the team back for that one.  Not that anything they said was untrue.  He’d been admiring Ford from the day he laid eyes on him- though he’d tried to squash the feelings being as he had a job to do.  Once everything was over however and he was looking back, his feelings hadn’t waned, and if anything, had intensified.

Could Ford have really been feeling the same?  How could he have?  Vince acted like a complete jackass to him.  Admittedly though, not so much during their initial time together.  It was moreso once Ford had resurfaced, and that was mainly due to his frustration regarding the whole op coming to a head.

As he opened the door to his Maxima he looked over at Ford straddling his bike, attempting  _ not  _ to let his eyes wander to those tight riding pants.  The man looked right back, a half smile on his face as he fired the engine.  All the answer Vince needed was right in those eyes.

* * *

Ford took one look at the chopper in Vince’s garage and nodded his head in approval.  “She’s a looker,” he admitted, honestly curious as to what he would find.  It was gloss black with lots of chrome and flames over the gas tank.  It looked suspiciously like his old bike, although with some obvious improvements and further customization.

“So, how’s she run?”  Vince swept his arm out in invitation for him, so Ford swung his leg over, firing it up.  There was a grin a mile wide as he listened to the motor and he looked up at Vince.  “And you never took this baby out?”

He shrugged.  “Wanna come with me on her maiden ride?” he offered.

“Sure.  I’d like that.”  Vince grabbed his leather jacket by the door going into the duplex.  “We need to get you some proper colors.”

“Black’s a color,” he gruffed back, though he was failing to hold back a grin as he slipped the jacket on.

Ford shook his head.  “Nah, I think I have some ideas though.”

“Now there’s a scary thought,” he chuckled.  As he approached the bike, Ford made to get off but Vince shook his head.  “Scoot back.”

“ Didn’t think you meant to ride  _ with  _ you,” he mentioned as Vince slipped in front.

“Complain’ Ford?” he quipped, looking over his shoulder.

“Not at all,” he replied casually, and as though proving the point he brazenly wrapped his arms around Vince’s waist.

As they paused at the end of the drive, Vince laughed heartily.  “Knew you preferred riding bitch.”

Ford’s quick retort of “Oh fuck you Vince!” was lost in the wind as the man in question peeled out onto the road.  He took it pretty easy down the side streets, feeling out the bike.  It’d been far too long since he’d ridden one and it wasn’t until then he realized how much he missed it.  Sure, he loved his car as much as anyone else on the team loved theirs, but he felt even more freedom with the wind in his face.

He eased off the throttle as he pulled up to a red light.  There was a chuckle in his ear and a shifting as Ford planted his feet on the pavement too- it wasn’t necessary, but Vince knew it was habit more than anything.  “Think we should open ‘er up,” Vince mused, revving the engine a bit.

“Ready when you are,” Ford answered, squeezing around his waist in assurance.

As soon as the light changed, Vince gruffed out a “Hang on” before letting the bike loose.  He didn’t have a particular destination in mind as he kept away from the high traffic areas, letting the bike have as much of the throttle as he could get away with.  He ended up noticing they were picking their way towards the coast and decided on the perfect place to end their ride.

Santa Monica was alive with activity down by the water but Vince went up the coast a bit where the beaches were quieter, the noise of the Pier nothing more than a distant hum of activity.  He pulled right up to where pavement met sand and kicked the stand down before shutting off the bike.

The sun was setting, splashing colors across the sky and water as it crashed onto the shore.  It was all rather cliche but Vince was a romantic at heart, even though he’d deny it to his team in a heartbeat.

Ford gave a little happy sigh, leaning further against Vince.  He hooked his chin over his shoulder, grinning a bit as he looked out at the view.  “This is really nice Vince,” he whispered.  After a moment he added, “So was the ride.  You did a great job with the bike.”

Vince couldn’t help but agree.  The bike seemed to have turned out well.  “Thanks,” was all he said, hand covering Ford’s that were still locked around his midsection.

They sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying the view and having the other close.  At one point, Vince twisted around to look at his companion.  From one breath to the next, he closed the distance left between them, lips covering Ford’s in a soft kiss.

Not that Ford was one to stay passive.  The moment he realized what was going on he pressed back into the kiss greedily, fingers threading into Vince’s shorter hair.  He licked along Vince’s lower lip before pulling away, his partner trying to chase the kiss.  “Lets just cut the bullshit…  I want you, you want me, so how ‘bout we fuck eachother’s brains out already?”

Vince laughed at that, shaking his head ruefully.  “I can handle that.”  He stole a quick kiss before adding, “Your easy ain’t ya?  Don’t even have to spring for dinner an’ a movie.”

“Ya got me… Just need a good ride to get me all hot and bothered.”  He wiggled his brows a bit to go along with his innuendo which made Vince’s laughter grow in volume.

“You are somethin’ Ford,” he managed, drawing in a deep breath.

“Eh, I try.”  He tilted his head, brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes as he gave a coy grin.  “Though I do think you’ll have to at least spring for burgers ‘cause I’m starved.”

“ I can do that.”  Vince leaned in for one last deep, sensual kiss before starting the bike back up.

There was a great late night place near the Pier that wouldn’t be too crowded yet.  A bite to eat would do them good, give them a chance to talk and settle their nerves before taking such a big leap- knowing Ford though,  _ nerves  _ didn’t even come into play.

* * *

“ I don’t do things halfway,” Vince said after their orders were taken.  “I mean, if we do this, it ain’t no quick fuck and then see ya ‘round.”  He’d had enough of that in high school and the few years after that when he’d still had a lot of growing up to do.  It was enough to know that he didn’t like it, and the added years of working for the DEA only helped to show him that what he really wanted were  _ real  _ relationships.  He wanted to find that someone special, as cheesy as it sounded.

“I’m not really into casual either,” Ford assured.

“ Well then, you should know I…  _ we _ don’t plan on sticking around here much longer.  The team I mean.  After Race Wars we’re off to Baja.”

“Yeah?  The whole family, huh?”  Vince nodded.  “And I just got home too,” he continued, the corner of his lips quirked to show he was teasing.  The waitress brought their drinks and once she’d left Ford decided to ask, “So what’s the plan?  Why Baja?”

Vince shrugged.  “Dom’s choice.  We all agreed though.  Great weather, right on the beach, and not backwater like a lot of the damn country.”

“What’ll you do ‘bout money?”

“ Gonna open another garage.  But…”  Vince looked out the window, dropping his voice a bit as he admitted, “We’ve had a… retirement fund going for a while now.  Nice nest egg to keep us all happy for a good long while.”  He took a drink before meeting Ford’s gaze.  “Last deposit comes at Race Wars.”

It wasn’t the  _ complete  _ truth but it was the closest he could get without revealing their illegal activities- and this was  _ not  _ the place for explaining any of it.  Besides that, the rest of the team would have to approve, and they may have taken a shine to Ford and his friends but that wasn’t the same as trusting them with such a weighty secret.

Ford seemed to accept his answer, though he certainly knew there was more to it than that and it showed in his eyes.  Smiling a bit, he inquired, “So… where do I fit into this retirement plan?”

Vince couldn’t help but smile back, tilting his head.  “Right next to me,” he answered sincerely.

The other man chuckled a bit, shaking his head, but there was no hiding the light blush on his cheeks.  “So fucking cheesy,” was all he had to say.  The happiness shining in his eyes said the rest.

* * *

They had ended up back at Vince’s and no sooner had the door shut then they were flinging clothes everywhere.  Somehow they had managed to make it to bed, Ford muttering something about “making up for lost time” as he was pressed against the mattress.  There was nothing hesitant or shy in their actions, just a quick and dirty prep before Vince was sinking inside him.

Vince nibbled along the other’s jaw, loving the noises Ford was making, the way he was pushing back against him.  When Vince pushed himself up, adjusting the angle, he gazed down at his lover in wonder.  “Anyone ever tell ya you’re beautiful?”

Ford smirked, shaking his head.  “Can’t say they have.”  His nails raked down Vince’s back, not breaking skin, but hard enough to know they were there.

Placing their foreheads together, Vince breathed out, “Well you are.”  Fingers twisted into long silken locks and he smiled.  “Gonna make sure to tell ya s’often as I can.”

“Mmm, Vince.”  Ford squirmed, opening to Vince’s questing tongue.

“Cary,” he murmured against his lips, the first time Ford had ever heard his given name from Vince. Not many used it as it was, however to hear it said so reverently from Vince in such an intimate way made him groan and push up against him wantonly. Vince gasped into his mouth. “Please baby,” he whined.

“Right here,” Ford assured, one hand grasping tightly in Vince's hair to the point of almost painful, the other at his hip, fingers pressing bruises into his skin.

All sense of time seemed to slip away. Nothing mattered except them, in that moment, finally together.

 


	4. Chapter 4

This couldn’t be happening.  Why _now_ out of all the other times they had done this, when they just needed this _one last load_ had things gone so horribly wrong?  Letty was trying to play distraction, weaving in front of the semi erratically while Leon slipped his car in underneath to the passenger side.  Dom up until that point had been attempting to reach Vince with zero luck and so he reluctantly pulled ahead to join Letty while Leon’s car took his place.

Vince was dangling from the side of the semi they’d been attempting to hijack.  Dawn was breaking and they’d rushed things- trying to get it done before the sun came up, trying to finish this thing and get the final load.  It had been their mistake as they weren’t counting on the driver leveling a shotgun at Vince, or that he would slam on the brakes and get him tangled up into his own safety line.

Pain shot through him again, his arm feeling as though it were about to fall off, perhaps worse than the gunshot wound in his gut.  That was why the rest of the team was running defense for him now.  They didn’t need the driver getting trigger happy on Vince again- the next shot could have been fatal.  As it was, he’d be lucky to make it to a hospital before bleeding out.

The whine of motorcycles reached his ears and Vince managed to look up and find a trio of colorful bikes approaching.  The familiar fire engine red crotch-rocket pulled up alongside him.  “Hang on V!” Ford yelled over the wind.  He glanced over his shoulder to be sure his friends were clear before jumping over to the semi, the bike crashing down the asphalt in an angry crunch of metal and sparks.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Vince bellowed.

“Saving your ass it looks like.”  He was untangling the wire, attention drawn to Val as he pulled up to pace them.  “Think you can hold on?”  Vince caught his meaning and nodded.  With careful precision, Ford helped him onto the back of Val’s bike before hopping onto Dalton’s.

Everyone was quick to pull off the road and Ford dropped his helmet before pulling Vince off the bike.  “What the fuck were you thinking?!” he berated.

“Less griping,” Vince groused, “more stopping the bleeding, huh?” Ford was doing just that, his belt being applied as a tourniquet on Vince’s arm when Brian and Dom rushed over with the rest of the team.

The blonde cursed as he knelt to apply pressure on Vince’s abdomen, Dom’s hands following right behind.  “Dom…”  Brian looked up at him, shaking his head.  “I have to call this in, I don’t have a choice.”

Dom’s nostrils flared as he took a few deep breaths, sucking in his lower lip.  Nodding in acceptance, he turned to the rest of the team.  “All of you get out of here.  Ditch the cars like we planned-”

“Take my bike too,” Ford commented, looking back to where the heap was sitting against the median.

“Then head to Baja.  We’ll catch up.”

“Be careful Dom,” Leon mentioned, grabbing hold of Jesse’s arm and prodding him towards the cars.

Ford looked to his friends.  “You should go with them,” he encouraged.

“Won’t hear any arguments from us,” Dalton replied, slapping Val’s shoulder as he stood.

While they had been giving directions, Brian had called in for a medivac helicopter.  “Hang in there V,” he encouraged, watching the way Ford passed his hand through Vince’s hair in attempt to keep him calm.  “How did you know where to find us?” he inquired of the biker.

“We saw you guys taking off and Mia told us the whole thing.  She pointed us in the direction of where the cars were stashed and we got there as you were leaving.  Lost you when you hit the interstate and picked the wrong direction.”  Brian nodded- it explained why they were so far behind.

Letty had taken off with Jesse after getting Ford's wrecked bike in the back of the car, followed by the remaining two motorcycles. Seeing Leon idling near them, hesitating to leave them behind, Brian looked to his boyfriend.  “You need to go too Dom.”

“What?  No!”  He glowered at Brian.  “I ain’t leavin’ you behind.”

“I need to deal with the Feds and _you_ need to be long gone.”  They looked up at the sound of the approaching helicopter.  “Please Dom,” the blonde pleaded.  “I’ll take care of V and we’ll come to you guys as soon as we can.”  When Dom still didn’t budge, Brian persisted, “Trust me.”

Dom deflated at that.  “I do,” he murmured.  He leaned over his best friend, pulling Brian into a passionate, desperate kiss.  “Be careful,” he urged, holding the scruff of his neck.  “I love you.”

“Love you too Dom.”

He looked down at Vince, patting his thigh.  “Hang in there V.”

“Will do,” he grunted out in pain, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.

“I’ll take care of him,” Ford assured.

Reluctantly, Dom hoped in with Leon- leaving his damaged Civic for Brian- and pulled off just as the helicopter was landing in the field.

Vince grimaced, reaching for Ford’s hand and giving it a squeeze.  “Sure hope you know what you’re doin’ Buster.”

Brian frowned.  “So do I.”

* * *

Apparently Brian knew what he was doing after all.  He was able to convince the medivac crew and hospital staff that Vince with the victim of a bike-jacking, that bike being Ford’s of course.  Mia had met them down at the hospital, sitting with Ford as they waited for Vince to get out of surgery.  In the meantime, Brian had vanished to take care of the remaining fallout.

No one saw him until the following day.  Vince had the bed angled so he was sitting up, Ford seated at his hip.  “Still kickin’ V,” Brian noted with a wry grin.

“Damn straight Buster.”  He gave the blonde a lopsided grin.  “How ‘bout you?  Come to arrest me?”

Ford rolled his eyes, looking over at Brian with a smile.  “Ignore him.  He’s a little high on the morphine right now.”

Brian chuckled, pulling a chair up beside them.  “I think we’re clear,” he answered Vince’s question.  “Feds are _pissed_ to say the least so will be smart to make a run for it as soon as we can.”  Brian tilted his head.  “How’re things here?”

“Surgery went fine,” Ford answered.  “He’s swimming in antibiotics and pain meds.  If he keeps stable, they’ll probably let him out tomorrow.”

Brian nodded.  “We won’t be going anywhere probably for a few days after that at least.  Let V get a chance to rest and get his shit together.”  As it was Mia was having to finish gathering up the things the team had been forced to leave behind that they wanted.  At least the majority of their things had already been shipped down there in advance.

“Do I get drugs?” Vince inquired.

Ford patted his leg.  “I’m sure they’ll give you some stuff to take the edge off.  Though you won’t be able to drive if you’re on them.”  Vince actually pouted, Ford and Brian trading an amused look.

“Mia head home?” Brian asked.  He had called to inform her he was on his way and that she should go home and get some much needed rest.  Ford nodded and the blonde didn’t miss how exhausted the man looked himself, dark circles forming under his eyes. “You should go get some rest yourself.”

“Wanna stay here,” Ford insisted, fingers linking with Vince’s.

“I’ll stay,” Brian offered.  “You need sleep for when he comes home.  Lord knows he’ll be a handful.”

“Bite me,” Vince grumbled, half asleep himself.

Ford chuckled, shaking his head.  He ended up caving through, agreeing to go back to the townhouse for some shut eye before returning to relieve Brian so he could do the same.  “See you soon Vince,” he murmured, kissing him softly.  He grabbed Brian’s shoulder briefly in thanks before slipping out of the room.

“We really okay Buster?” Vince managed to ask, the medications pulling him closer and closer to sleep.

“Yeah,” Brian assured, “pretty sure we are V.”

Vince’s face held a tired smile.  “Good,” was all he said before drifting off into oblivion.

Brian’s mouth turned into a crooked smile.  He only wished he could call and tell Dom the same thing.

* * *

It was a week before they left town.  Brian had his Supra loaded down with luggage.  It wasn’t much since he too had sent stuff down to Baja beforehand, Mia wasn’t staying, and Ford had been traveling light himself.  Mia was riding shotgun, hair blowing in the breeze.  She would be spending the rest of the summer break with them before returning home to LA and her UCLA studies.

A motorcycle roared up beside them on the freeway to pace them.  Vince was laughing over at them, revving the throttle to make the bike jump forwards a little in challenge.  Ford was settled in behind him, shaking his head but amused none-the-less.  The Maxima had been left behind with the rest of the teams’ rides- they would have plenty of funds to build new cars- but the custom bike Vince had spent so much time on was coming with them.

“ _Y’know I think we’re even now,” Ford mused as he was helping Vince pack the morning of their departure.  To Vince’s questioning gaze he explained, “My bike’s in a junkyard now.  I figure that makes us even for how I ruined your last one.”_

_Vince frowned.  “Sorry Cary,” he murmured, knowing full well Ford had done it for him.  “Promise we’ll make you another one.”_

_Ford’s smile was warm, leaning in to press a kiss to his jaw.  “Sounds good to me babe.”_

Brian revved his own engine, accepting the challenge before they both accelerated and took off along the long stretch of open road.  They couldn’t reach Baja soon enough.

* * *

**Epilogue:**

The house in Baja was actually a series of homes along the beach.  There had never been a true arrangement of who would live in which, however by the time the small group of stragglers had joined them it appeared as though the logistics had all been handled. There were four bungalows, all in various sizes, and after Dom had descended on them in robust greeting he offered to help them move their stuff in.

Dom had picked the largest home for him and Brian, which had a guest room for Mia and plenty of room for the whole family to congregate.  Vince and Ford got the bungalow next door that was more of an economy size but it was more than enough for just them.  On the other side of Dom was a smaller cottage that was actually meant as a mother-in-law suite to the main bungalow which Letty had swiped up for her own personal use.  Then on the end stood a cabin that was more dorm style with multiple smaller rooms and a community kitchen and living space where Jesse and Leon currently resided with their guests, Dalton and Val.

Bags dropped off in their new respective abodes, Dom led them around back next to the surf where the rest of the family was gathered around a campfire in the early twilight hours.  “You made it!” Jesse hollered, rushing to meet them.

“Yo,” Leon greeted with a two-fingered salute, not bothering to get up from where he was comfortably situated between Dalton’s legs on the sand.  It certainly seemed like more and more that perhaps this particular biker wasn’t going to be simply remaining a “guest” much longer.

Not that Val was being any less subtle with the way he was seated next to Letty on one of the fallen logs circling the fire pit, or the kiss he pressed to Mia’s cheek in greeting.  Ford knew his friends though- Val wasn’t one for serious relationships.  He preferred to stay unattached and play the field.  As long as all parties involved knew what they were getting into then Ford wasn’t about to say a word.  Both women were old enough to make their own decisions in that department.

“Lookin’ good there V,” Leon mentioned as they all settled in.  “What’s the damage?”

Vince shrugged out of his leather jacket, settling it beside him before twisting to offering his right arm up for inspection.  “No permanent muscle damage,” he assured.  “Still have a bit more physical therapy to go though before I’m back to normal.”

“Fuck man,” Leon said, moving over to take a closer look.  “We’re gonna have to do something ‘bout your ink.”  If it was one thing the pair loved more than their cars, it was their tattoos.  A lot of the artwork on Vince’s arm was mangled.

“Yeah,” he replied, letting his disappointment show.

“‘Ey brother, we’ll get it fixed up.”  Leon smacked his shoulder in reassurance, eyes catching the leather beside Vince.  “What’s this?”  He grabbed the jacket, rolling from his knees onto his butt as he turned it so the others could see.

“Finally got your boy proper colors I see,” Dalton remarked.  In Leon’s hands was the jacket Ford had made up while Vince was recovering.  It was black with royal blue accenting from the collarbone area down the front of the sleeves.  On the back was a howling wolf patch.

“Looks pretty perfect to me,” Dom commented from where he sat on the sand with a lap full of Brian who was clinging like a koala.  He squinted then, asking, “What’s that on the side?”

Ford ducked his head and looked away while Vince gave a wry smile.  He took his jacket back, holding onto the bottom of the right sleeve to show Dom the small pegasus patch that sat there, matching the one that adorned Ford’s jacket.  “Just a little something I had to add.”

“You two are sickeningly sweet,” Letty dead-panned.  “Didn’t know ya had it in ya.”  Mia laughed, trying to cover with a hand over her mouth, but the way she shook gave it away.

“Ha.  Ha.”  Vince snorted, trying to appear insulted but one fond look from Ford had him softening.  He nuzzled his nose into the curve of Ford’s neck, smiling softly as he pressed his lips to skin.  “I love you,” he murmured.

Ford tilted his chin down to capture Vince’s lips in a warm kiss.  He smirked after pulling away, replying, “Love you too…  Teddy Bear.”

“Oh that’s it!”  Vince tackled his boyfriend to the sand, pinning him with his body weight while proceeding to tickle Ford’s midsection.  “I’ll teach you to be a smart-ass Ford.”

As Ford tried to buck him off uselessly, the others were practically rolling with laughter.  “Got ya covered Ford,” Brian declared, tackling Vince off of him.

“Hey now!” Vince protested.  “No interference Buster!” Of course Ford was all over that one, turning his attention to the blonde and starting their own wrestling match in turn.

Naturally when you had a group of adrenaline-junkies as they were, it didn’t take long for the majority of the others to join in.  Leon pounced on Vince next while Dom pulled Brian off of Ford by the collar, only for them both to turn on him.  Then Jesse joined in the fray, Dalton shrugging before doing the same, leaving Val sitting on their log shaking his head- always being the more level-headed and chill of Ford’s group- and the girls on either side rolling their eyes.

Laughter filled the air, all of them reveling in their new found freedom and having their family all together.  It was truly paradise.

/End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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